Food Network Friday for 9/18 and Quick Roasted Plum Tomato Bruschetta

Quick Roasted Plum Tomato Bruschetta (recipe below)

Here's the recipe for the next Food Network Friday, which will wrap-up on September 18th. To participate, just veganize the recipe below, making any changes you'd like and either email your results to me or post a link to the blog post on that day. We'd love to have you!

The pick for this round is from Holy Shitake, and here is what she wrote:

The Mr and I have a bit of a tradition of watching the Neelys on Sunday morning. They are an awesome couple who really show the love and care for each other. So i wanted my choice to be one of their recipes. I went through all their recipes on FN.com. But the one that yelled veganize to me, is this one.

Banana Stuffed French Toast Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Pinch ground cinnamon
3 ripe bananas, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 large unsliced loaf French bread, bread cut into 8 slices
4 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon rum extract
Nonstick cooking spray
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
Maple syrup, for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Once butter is melted add the brown sugar and pinch of cinnamon. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts into the butter and becomes a sauce. Add bananas and toss together. Let cook until the bananas are soft and incorporated into the sauce. Remove to a bowl and let cool completely. Once cool, add cream cheese and mash with a wooden spoon.

Using a paring knife, cut a 2-inch-long slits in 1 side of each bread slice, cutting 3/4 of way through bread and creating pocket that leaves 3 sides of bread intact. Divide banana mixture equally among the bread pockets.

In a large bowl, add eggs, heavy cream, milk, cinnamon and rum and whisk to combine. Pour mixture into a 13 by 9-inch casserole dish. Put the bread into the egg mixture and let soak for 3 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove the bread from egg mixture, using a spatula, letting the excess drain off. Spray a wire rack with nonstick spray and put the rack on a baking sheet. Put the bread on the rack and transfer to the oven. Bake the French toast until it is golden brown and filling is hot, about 25 minutes. Transfer the toast on a serving platter and garnish with confectioners' sugar and maple syrup.

Totally optional, but if you want check the other recipes from the episode, Ready Set Breakfast: Down Home with the Neelys, I would love to see what this group of creative vegans can do. Tempting you with the thought of veganizing Neely's Homemade Hash Browns, Gina's Brown Sugar Bacon, and Coconut Hot Chocolate.

Thanks for the pick, Kirsten. I know some people have expressed a dislike for the Neelys, which is fine. Personally, I have yet to decide if it's more fun to veganize a recipe from the 'personalities' I happen to like, or the ones that I don't. But really, the point isn't if you like them or not, it's about showing the Food Network how tasty a vegan diet can be, starting with their own recipes!

Speaking of recipes, rather than leave you without a photo, here's a super quick take on bruschetta which takes advantage of some of the gorgeous plum tomatoes that are taking over the farmer's markets. It doesn't get much easier than this tasty variation.

Quick Roasted Plum Tomato Bruschetta
Makes about 2 cups

8 to 10 plum tomates, seeded and cut in quarters*
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
handful fresh basil, chopped
pinch dried basil
pinch dried oregano
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
ciabatta or french bread, sliced and drizzled with olive oil and salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a 9 X 13 inch pan, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast about 15 minutes. Remove fromthe oven and let cool. Chop the tomatoes. Add the garlic, basil, dried basil, and oregano and red pepper flakes. Stir together and adjust the seasonings, if needed.

With the oven still on, roast the bread until golden. Serve warm or cool.

*After roasting, most of the skins just peeled off. If they hadn't, I would have left them on, but they ended up coming off as I cut them so I went with it.

Last call for the book contest! If you'd like to enter for a chance to win Soup's On, be sure to comment on the post below.

New contest coming soon! Have a great weekend, everyone!